Gander Mountain asked MONO to help bring meaning to their tagline: We Live Outdoors.

As we pored over consumer insights, we discovered that the stereotype of hunters and anglers as Busch Light-drinkin’, Confederate flag-wavin’ country bumpkins was grossly off target.

Instead, true outdoorspeople are masters of their environment. And with that mastery comes a deep respect for the moments that can unfold only in the outdoors.

Agency: MONO. Production Company: Committe Films. Music: “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” by Charlie Parr.

My old man, rest his soul, lived for the outdoors. He’s the one who taught me all I know about hunting, fishing, and camping.

So when Gander Mountain asked MONO to create a Father’s Day campaign celebrating all the outdoorsy dads out there, you can bet your hindquarters I wrote these headlines in his honor.

Agency: MONO.

Grounded in the belief that life comes alive outdoors, MONO reignited the Gander Mountain brand by capturing moments outdoor enthusiasts cherish, accompanied by terse headlines that served as rallying cries.

Agency: MONO. Photographers: Andy Anderson, Ryan Taylor.

With a world-class reputation for its applied-learning programs, it’s no wonder Dunwoody College of Technology delivers a 99% job placement rate.

To celebrate this feat, Riley Hayes created The Support Group for the Suddenly Successful, a safe place where recent grads tackle tough topics related to their newfound success.

Agency: Riley Hayes. Production Company: 3VLTS.

Recognition: Ads of the World “Most Liked Ads,” The Drum “US Creative Work of the Week,” AdFed Minnesota The Show.

In a landscape dominated by high-price athleisure and even more expensive performance wear, we teamed up with Stimulus Athletic to debut their high-quality, budget-friendly 2022 collection.

The launch campaign rallied around improvement, growth, and the relentless work that goes into creating better versions of ourselves in the gym, on the fields, and in our personal lives.

Agency: Riley Hayes.

The dangers associated with tobacco may not be top-of-mind for most Minnesotans, whether that’s because of other more timely issues impacting their lives, or because they don’t smoke themselves and potentially see fewer people smoking in general.

And while many understand the tremendous burden of health care costs on our lives, most aren’t aware that smoking-related illnesses cost Minnesotans $3 billion each year. And it’s only going up.

Agency: Haberman. Production Company: Committee Films. Director: Todd Grabe.

Inspired by geometric simplicity and elements of nature, benjayway and yours truly teamed up to craft the identities for Venn Brewing Company’s flagship beers and seasonal releases.

Each identity captures the unique spirit of the beer with distinctive names with tasty visuals, helping Venn stand out in the beer aisle.

Our work received recognition, notably with a feature in The Dieline — and we even picked up some hardware at AdFed Minnesota’s The Show.

Design: Ben Johson of benjayway.

While some craft breweries wax poetic about their local roots, Riley set their sights on the global origins of Insight Brewing’s fine ales by creating fantastical narratives that illustrate the epic quest for the inspiration behind each beer. Excerpts of these quests unfold in a series of chapters on Insight’s award-winning packaging.

But how did these stories come to be? Behold — allow this prologue to quench your curiosity.

Agency: Riley. Production Company: Kobamm Productions. Audio Production: Babble-On Recording Studios. Animator: Tom Coben. Composer: Levi Brown.

Recognition: Ads of the World “Most Liked Ads,” The Drum “US Creative Work of the Week,” W3 Awards, AdFed Minnesota’s The Show.

Close to 90% of the corn grown in the United States is genetically modified. And seeing how many domestic spirits are made from varying quantities of corn, that tasty cocktail of yours may be anything but GMO-free.

Sure, there’s an ongoing debate about the safety of GMOs for human health, but one thing is clear: pesticide- and herbicide-resistant GMOs are bad for the environment.

Enter Prairie Organic Spirits. Their organic farmers spend up to 3x more time than conventional farmers in the field because they don’t rely on chemical shortcuts. The benefit? Their farmers’ organic corn crops are free from harmful pesticides and herbicides.

Haberman ran a series of out-of-home ads and rolled out an anthem video that displayed Prairie’s commitment to organic farming and their unbridled passion for crafting sustainable spirits that are better for the environment.

Agency: Haberman

Made to Matter was a first-of-its-kind Target collection that brought together 16 leading natural, organic, and sustainable brands to introduce new products and make them more accessible.

The Made to Matter products spanned six categories—Baby, Beauty and Personal Care, Grocery, Healthcare and Household—and can be found throughout our stores, both in the usual aisles and as part of specialized collection displays. Brands include Annie’s Homegrown, Burt’s Bees, Clif Bar, Ella’s Kitchen, EVOL, Horizon Organic, Hyland’s, Kashi, method, Plum Organics, Seventh Generation, SheaMoisture, Target’s Simply Balanced, Vita Coco, Yes To and Zarbee’s Naturals.

Agency: Target Creative. Illustration: Geoff McFetridge. Animation: Moving Colour.

Target is the most-followed mass retailer on Instagram, with over 5.5M followers to show for it. Target Creative was challenged—day in and day out—to bring the Target brand to life on the Instagram platform in a way that further inspired brand love.

The content we created reached over 40 million followers every day and was recognized by the likes of The Webby Awards, The Mashies, and others.

Warning: Long before becoming a father, this is where I prepared for parenthood by carefully honing my dad jokes. My sincerest apologies.

Agency: Target Creative.

Recognition: The Webby Awards, The Mashies, Facebook “Building Creative for Feed” Honoree, SXSW “Instagram Best of Brands” Feature, AdFed Minnesota’s The Show.

During Valentine’s week, Target Creative asked fans to submit photos of themselves and their Valentine. In return, we created caricatures that could be used as last-minute Valentine’s cards, profile pictures, and more.

Target reached more than three million fans organically, which—at the time—was seven times greater than its daily average of 215,000 guests. The engagement rate was 27.06% or 8,100% above average. In total, the campaign garnered 698,327 organic views.

Agency: Target Creative. Director of Photography: Josh Lane. Director: Todd Grabe.

Recognition: Shorty Awards, The Mashies, AdFed Minnesota’s The Show.

Target’s sponsored athletes play an essential role in the big-box retailer’s story. They help differentiate the brand and extend its cultural leadership. They also make a strong connection with guests over a shared love of sports.

This video introduces the world to the then-newest member of Team Target: professional skateboarder Curren Caples.

Agency: Target Creative. Production Company: Brindle Collective. Director: Todd Grabe.

Recognition: Northbest: Ads of Minnesota.

Converse One Star, a retro-inspired collection that represents Converse’s distinctive “downtown cool” vibe, is an exclusive brand for Target.

To debut its fall clothing line — a $42 million business for Target — Target Creative shot this spot with a rebellious spirit unparalleled by anything the brand had previously done.

Agency: Target Creative. Director of Photography: Joseph Aguirre. Director: Todd Grabe.

To announce the grand opening of new Target stores, Target Creative delivered the iconic bull’s-eye logo to cities across America on a scale of epic proportions.

Fun fact: This campaign also promoted the first-ever Target to open in Hawaii.

Agency: Target Creative. Illustrator: Tom DiTolla with Spectrum Studio. Audio Production: Rumble. 

Delta Air Lines had an ambitious goal: to have the world’s biggest co-brand credit card portfolio. From segmentation to messaging to channel selection, they were willing to rethink how they marketed the cards.

Unlike the category at the time, Riley Hayes avoided offer inflation by making the benefit more emotional than miles. We focused on travel, connection, and humanity.

The outcome? A string of record-breaking years, with acquisitions over 1.3 million annually and portfolio performance touted on investor calls.

Agency: Riley Hayes.

Old Time Hawkey, comprised of Fritz and his two dogs Donnybrook and Kris Draper, is one of my favorite accounts on Instagram. Fritz has a fondness for outdoorsmanship, cooking, old-school movies, sweet dog antics, retro video games, and the Detroit Red Wings.

During my time at Blue Buffalo, I pitched an idea:
For National Cook For Your Pet Day, Old Time Hawkey — a big fan of Blue Buffalo — would cook a meal for his beloved buddies using wholesome, dog-safe ingredients paired with Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula.

But we faced some potential roadblocks.
1. We were unsure of Fritz’s interest.
2. Did we have the budget to pull it off?
3. The timing was tight. (Like, really tight.)

National Cook For Your Pet Day came and went. Sigh. But the Blue Buffalo social team, with support from DeVries Global, pulled off the idea as a surprise-and-delight moment to kick off 2024.

Creative Agency: Studio B. PR Agency: DeVries Global.

As a key contributor to Blue Buffalo’s organic social media presence, I’ve helped shape the brand’s voice across platforms by creating content that was equal parts insightful, adorable, and scroll-stopping.

From culturally relevant campaigns to all-too-relatable memes, every post was designed to do more than earn likes — it was about deepening loyalty and building an emotional connection between pet parents and BLUE.

Whether it was an April Fools’ Day spoof for a dog-only streaming service or leaning into satire — mimicking the tone of The Onion, Reductress, and ADWEAK — I crafted social content that balanced heart and humor, celebrating the everyday joys of pet life, and sparking conversation.

Did you know state health policies and practices lead to vastly different health care experiences depending on where you live?

The Commonwealth Fund’s State Health Data Center is an all-in-one resource where you can explore health system performance and policy data through custom tables, graphs, and maps. From maternal and mental health to racial equity, insurance costs, and more, you can access state-level data at a glance or take an expansive view into over one hundred performance indicators.

Agency: Outright.

Brewed with 100% malted barley and German yeast, Royal Nüisance was Insight Brewing’s take on a traditional German-style lager. So it seemed only fitting to introduce this beer with a tale inspired by Rübezahl, a folklore mountain spirit popular in Germany and nearby regions.

”… Having pilfered a bounty of the Mountain King’s beloved barley, I continued clambering down the precipice. Parched by my endeavors, I mused over the revivifying unfiltered lager I’d brew with his glorious golden grains. Alas, my reverie was quelled! Before me loomed the skimpy-tunicked crowned mischief, also wildly thirsty, but for vengeance.”

Agency: Riley.

FULL PROJECT COMING SOONISH.

In 2020, Capella’s in-house creative team pitched against Hill Holiday to determine who would spearhead the university’s brand refresh.

Ultimately, Hill Holiday secured the visual identity work, which included an updated logo and a complete overhaul of photography and typography. Meanwhile, our small but mighty in-house team was selected to redefine the university’s voice and tone.

These efforts resulted in a fresh look and feel, accompanied by a revamped messaging approach for Capella, with the aim of better resonating with its student body.

In 2020, Strayer’s in-house creative team pitched against Hill Holiday to determine who would spearhead the university’s brand refresh.

Ultimately, Hill Holiday secured the visual identity work, which included an updated logo and a complete overhaul of photography and typography. Meanwhile, our small but mighty in-house team was selected to redefine the university’s voice and tone.

These efforts resulted in a fresh look and feel, accompanied by a revamped messaging approach for Strayer, with the aim of better resonating with its student body.

In a Snap was an image recognition app that let you shop Target items directly off pages of magazines and print ads—without having to scan QR codes, look up links, or search for products online or in stores.

Agency: Target Creative.

Recognition: Ink from Ad Age, Adweek, PC Magazine, POPSUGAR, TechCrunch, Tech Times, and others.

As a former contributor to Twinkie Town and Pinstripe Alley, I partnered with my buddy Craig to create custom illustrations for the social media platforms of these two SB Nation affiliates.

Illustrator: Craig Nordeen.

Recognition: AdFed Minnesota’s The Show.

Housed in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, Target Too merged a collection of Target products—EOS lip balms, Method soap, LEGOs, Beats by Dre Headphones, Threshold furniture, and more—with cutting-edge technology.

We invited guests to play, share, shop, and explore the space. Visitors were encouraged to download a mobile app that could transform the 12 spectacles and interactive stations into a design-meets-digital experience.

Agency: Target Creative.

Recognition: Ink from Digiday, Communication Arts 57th Annual Design Competition. AdFed Minnesota’s The Show.

I’ve played a part in developing a diverse range of brand identities. Whether it’s naming, crafting taglines, or providing creative direction, I’ve been involved in every stage of the branding process for nonprofits and startups to small businesses and big-box retailers.